Boric Acid Treatment Research Articles

Conivaptan and Boric Acid Treatments in Acute Kidney Injury: Is This Combination Effective and Safe?

Acute kidney injury is still a worldwide clinic problem that affects kidney function and associated with high mortality risk. Unfortunately, approximately 1.7 million people are thought to die from acute kidney injury each year. Boron element is defined as an "essential trace element" for plants and thought to have a widespread role in living organisms. Boric acid, which is one of the important forms of boron, has been extensively discussed for both medicinal and nonmedicinal purposes. However, there is a lack of data in the literature to examine the relationship between boric acid and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) antagonism in kidney injury. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effects of conivaptan as an ADH antagonist and boric acid as an antioxidant agent on the post-ischemic renal injury process. In this study, the unilateral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury rat model with contralateral nephrectomy was performed and blood/kidney tissue samples were taken at 6th hours of reperfusion. The effects of 10mg/mL/kg conivaptan and 50mg/kg boric acid were examined with the help of some biochemical and histological analyses. We observed that conivaptan generally alleviated the destructive effects of I/R and has therapeutic effects. Also of note is that conivaptan and boric acid combination tended to show negative effects on kidney function, considering the highest BUN (78.46 ± 3.88mg/dL) and creatinine levels (1.561 ± 0.1018mg/dL), suggesting possibly drug-drug interaction. Although it has reported that conivaptan can interact with other active substances, no experimental/clinical data on the possible interaction with boric acid have reported so far.

Processing and characterization of chemically modified wood sawdust reinforced (diospyros, dialium) epoxy composites

AbstractPolymer composite materials based on natural fiber such as wood had been widely used for research purposes and engineering interests. The interest in wood reinforced polymer composites had grown quickly due to their better performance in aspects of mechanical properties compared to pure wood. In this study, wood sawdust of diospyros (kayu malam) and dialium (keranji) were chosen to be incorporated into an epoxy‐based polymer composite. The wood is made into sawdust, which was treated with boric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Surface treatment with these reagents was used to improve the mechanical properties of the polymer composite compared to untreated wood polymer composite. Sawdust reinforced epoxy composite that was fabricated are with different weight percentages from 0 % (no wood), 5 %, 10 %, 15 % to 20 % wt % for comparison on their tensile, flexural, and impact strength properties. Tensile, flexural, and impact tests were performed to determine the changes in mechanical properties where it was found that tensile strength had increased by 34 percent with an optimum keranji and kayu malam fiber weight of 15 wt % for both boric acid and hydrogen peroxide treatments. For flexural strength, in both wood fibers, the optimum fiber weight was found to 15 wt %, and the addition of wood had increased the strength by 57 percent. As for impact strength, it decreased as the weight of fiber increased, where it was assumed that the addition of wood might have increased the crack initiation. Adhesive bonding between hydrophilic wood sawdust and the hydrophobic epoxy polymer was the phenomenon that was focused on this research. The range of optimum weight percentage of sawdust would be determined from the experiment result.

The involvement of the induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport in toxic boron responsive regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Recently, boron (B) has been found to form a complex with anthocyanin, which could be evidence for the B tolerance mechanisms that reduce free B in the leaf tissues of plants. However, the molecular mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport has not been satisfactorily elucidated in plants exposed to toxic B. Therefore, the changes in expression levels of some of the phenylpropanoid pathway genes, early and late flavonoid biosynthetic genes, and transcription factors related to anthocyanin biosynthesis and transport were determined in Arabidopsis thaliana under B toxicity. Accordingly, 1 mM boric acid treatment did not cause any significant change in the expression levels of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes such as PAL1, PAL2, C4H, 4CL3, CHS, ANS and transcription factors such as MYBD and TT8 in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, 3 mM boric acid treatment induced the expression levels of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes such as C4H, 4CL3 and transcription factors including MYB75, MYB114 and anthocyanin transporter genes such as TT13 and TT19. In addition to B-anthocyanin, B-anthocyanins conjugated with glutathione (GSH) complexes can also participate in the internal B tolerance mechanism in plants. Therefore, the direct role of the B-anthocyanin complex without GSH conjugation needs to be determined. For this purpose, anthocyanin accumulation was determined in slim1 mutant Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to excess B because SLIM1 transcription factor activates sulfate acquisition for S assimilation, which generates cysteine, the substrate for GSH. Accordingly, it was gradually increased through increasing toxic B levels in both wild type (WT) and slim1 mutant plants. slim1 mutant had more anthocyanin accumulation than WT under control and all toxic B conditions. In conclusion, increases in expression levels of MYB75, MYB114, TT13, TT19 and in anthocyanin level in slim1 mutant in response to increased toxic B levels showed that anthocyanins may play a primary role in B tolerance in plants.

Flammability, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of wood flour/polycarbonate/polyethylene bio-based composites

Fire risk limits further commercial utilization of bio-based composites. In this study, polycarbonate (PC) hybridization improved the fire retardancy and the mechanical properties of wood flour/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bio-based composites. A boric acid treatment improved the thermal stability of wood flour; the latter was then combined with the PC and the HDPE to produce hybrid-polymer-based composites. This study characterized the chemical structure, microstructure, and properties of the resulting bio-based composites. Results showed that the PC dispersed in the polyethylene matrix as micro or nanoparticles. The addition of PC increased the thermal stability of the resulting composites, and the char residue rate increased by 6.7 % at a PC content of 28 %. PC particles acted as a nucleating agent for the crystallization behavior of the bio-based composites. Adding PC reduced the heat release rate of the composites upon combustion. The tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of the resulting composites increased by 27.7 % and 91.1 %, respectively. Meanwhile, flexural strength and elasticity increased by 22.7 % and 53.8 %, respectively. The creep strain of the composites gradually decreased with increasing PC content, indicating that the addition of PC increased the anti-creep properties of the composites. Thus, the plastic hybridization and the wood flour fire retardant treatment led to bio-based composites with improved strength, thermal stability, and inflammability by wood flour modification.

The Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants on the MnFe2O4/BGA Composite under Visible Light.

The MnFe2O4/BGA (boron-doped graphene aerogel) composite was prepared by hydrothermal treatment of MnFe2O4 particles, boric acid, and graphene oxide. When applied as a photo-Fenton catalyst for the degradation of rhodamine B, the MnFe2O4/BGA composite yielded a degradation efficiency much higher than the sum of those of individual MnFe2O4 and BGA under identical experimental conditions, indicating a strong synergetic effect established between MnFe2O4 and BGA. The catalytic degradation of rhodamine B was proved to follow pseudo first-order kinetics, and the apparent reaction rate constant on the MnFe2O4/BGA composite was calculated to be three- and seven-fold that on BGA and MnFe2O4, respectively. Moreover, the MnFe2O4/BGA composite also demonstrated good reusability and could be reused for four cycles without obvious loss of photocatalytic activity.

Impact of boric acid and saline water irrigation on germination and seedling establishment of wheat*

AbstractThe main purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of salinized water with boric acid and sodium chloride (NaCl) on seed germination and seedling establishment of wheat. The following treatments were applied: Boric acid solution (0, 40, 240, and 480 μM) and NaCl solution (0, 50, 250, and 1,000 μM) were combined to produce 16 different solutions. The highest germination percentages were found in distilled water. Shoot length and root length of wheat were reduced by increments of all boric acid treatments in both saline solution and distilled water, but the decrease in shoot length due to boron toxicity was significant more pronounced in saline conditions. The greatest shoot and root lengths were observed in the control treatment (distilled water), and the smallest lengths were observed in the highest boric acid treatment (480 μM). Shoot and root dry weight also decreased with increasing boric acid. The averages of variables were also significantly affected by salinity solutions, but to a greater extent than under the influence of boric acid. It is concluded that wheat plants cannot tolerate salinized water with boric acid and NaCl during the germination stage.

Enhanced energy storage of aqueous zinc-carbon hybrid supercapacitors via employing alkaline medium and B, N dual doped carbon cathode

Zinc-based energy storage systems (zinc-air, zinc-nickel and zinc-ion batteries and zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSs) are considered as promising power sources for wide applications from personal electronic devices to electric vehicles. However, these systems, especially the Zn-based hybrid supercapacitors, display unsatisfying power density and energy density, which should be enhanced for their large-scale applications. In this work, aqueous alkaline zinc-carbon hybrid supercapacitors (A-ZCHS) were designed, consisting of B, N dual doped carbon cathode, Zn anode and KOH electrolyte. The B, N dual doped carbon was prepared via thermal treatment of metal-organic frameworks and boric acid, which exhibits abundant hierarchical pore structure (micropore, mesopore and macropore) and suitable defect construction, promoting ion diffusion/charge transfer and providing more rapid surface pseudocapacitance reaction. More obviously, when the optimized B, N dual doped carbon was used as cathode in A-ZCHS and ZHS, more capacitive charge storage and rapider electrochemical kinetics can be observed in A-ZCHS than in ZHS. Therefore, the optimized A-ZCHS displays a high energy density of 115.7 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 711.6 W kg−1 with excellent stability, which is much better than most of ZHSs reported previously. The A-ZCHS should be a promising candidate for energy storage applications.

Selectively Producing Acetic Acid via Boric Acid-Catalyzed Fast Pyrolysis of Woody Biomass

Boric acid is recently proved to be a good substitute for conventional acidic catalytic materials. However, few studies used boric acid as a catalyst in biomass pyrolysis. This study focused on the catalytic effects of boric acid (BA) on pyrolysis behaviors of woody biomass. The birch wood flour (WF) was used as feedstock and treated by impregnation of boric acid solution. Both untreated and boric acid-treated samples (BW) were characterized by FTIR and SEM. Thermogravimetry (TG) and pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) techniques were used for studying mass loss, composition, and distribution of evolved volatiles formed from pyrolysis process. Additionally, a small fixed-bed pyrolyzer with an amplificated loading amount was used to prepare liquid products, and further, GC/MS were used to analyze the composition of these liquid products. Different pyrolysis temperatures and boric acid/wood flour mass ratios were also studied. The main results are as follows. Boric acid infiltrated into both cell cavity and cell wall through impregnation treatment. FTIR analysis showed that boric acid reacted with wood flour to form B-O-C bond during the treatment. After the treatment of boric acid, the initial degradation temperatures and residual carbon contents were increased, while the maximum weight loss rates were decreased. Boric acid significantly altered the composition and distribution of volatile pyrolysis products of wood flour. It significantly increased the contents of small molecule compounds such as acetic acid and furfural but, decreased the contents of phenol derivatives with high molecular weights. And these changes became more pronounced as the temperature increased. When mass ratio of boric acid (BA) to wood flour (WF) was 2, the acetic acid accounted for 91.28% of the total product in the pyrolysis liquid, which was 14 times higher than that of untreated wood flour. Boric acid effectively catalyzed fast pyrolysis of woody biomass to selectively produce acetic acid

In-vitro molecular interaction of boron doped carbon dots with human serum albumin

Carbon dots have drawn prodigious attention in biomedical and biological fields by virtue of its unique optical properties, but their effect on structure and behaviour of essential proteins have rarely been explored. In this study boron doped carbon dots (BCDs) which was synthesized by microwave treatment of citric acid, boric acid and urea, with maximum emission wavelength of 444 nm when excited upon long wavelength ultra-violet light. Synthesized BCDs were characterized by UV-Visible, FTIR, HRTEM and Fluorescence spectroscopy. Interaction between BCDs and human serum albumin (HSA) is carried out in physiological conditions. Stoichiometry of BCDs-HSA was found to be 1:1 and various thermodynamic parameters have also been calculated. The negative value of ΔG suggested that interaction between HSA and BCDs was spontaneous in nature.

EFFECT OF SPRAYING SOME ORGANIC ACIDS ON CERCOSPORA LEAF SPOT DISEASE, YIELD AND QUALITY OF SUGAR BEET

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. saccharifera, L.) is one of the main economical sugar crops in Egypt. It is infected with Cercospora leaf spot disease, which is caused by Cercospora baticola Sacc. Fungs, which negatively affect the vegetative growth, yield and quality of sugar beet. The results obtained indicated that Cercospora leaf spot disease severity% and relative efficacy% were significantly reduced by spraying beets with 20 g/ L humic acid followed by 2 g/ L boric acid and 50 Mm/ L citric acid compared with the other treatments, in both seasons. Spraying of 1.5 g/ L boric acid treatment led to significant increase in most of traits where, it achieved thickest and heaviest tops and roots/plant and higher values of (chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids), sucrose, purity percentages, root and sugar yields/fed in both seasons, as compared to other humic acid levels. Application of 15 g humic/ L significantly affected endogenous phytohormones (gibberellins, auxins, cytokinin and abscisic) and gave the highest values of root diameter, fresh and foliage weights/plant, sucrose and purity percentages as well, sodium and potassium contents, root and sugar yields/fed in both seasons, photosynthetic pigments in leaves in 1st season only compared to the rest of the used levels of humic acid. Foliar application of 50 citric acid/fed increased root diameter, (foliage and fresh weights/plant), sucrose and purity percentages as well, root and sugar yields/fed in both seasons in comparison to that those plants sprayed with (30 and 40 mM/L) and the check treatment. Based on, the previously mentioned combination can be recommended to increase root yield and quality of sugar beet as well as to reduce Cercospora leaf spot disease severity.

Boric acid was orally toxic to different instars of Blattella germanica (L.) (Blattodea: Blattellidae) and caused dysbiosis of the, gut microbiota

Boric acid, a well-established chemical insecticide, has a good control effect on various types of cockroaches. In this study, we investigated the oral virulence effect of boric acid on German cockroach (Blattella germanica) of various instars and characterized its effect on the gut microbiota by high-throughput sequencing technology. The results of an oral toxicity test showed that the toxicity of boric acid was positively correlated with its concentration and negatively correlated with the instar of cockroach nymphs. The 1–3 instar nymphs showed the strongest sensitivity to boric acid, which exhibited a median lethal time of only 3.16 d, while the 6–7 instar nymphs showed the weakest sensitivity, and exhibited a median lethal time of 10.15 d. There was no significant difference between male and female insects regarding their sensitivity to boric acid. Oral treatment of boric acid resulted in severe dysbiosis in cockroaches, the relative abundances of Bacteroides, which can degrade a variety of complex macromolecules, and Enterococcus, which can inhibit pathogenic microorganisms, were significantly reduced, while the relative abundance of the opportunistic pathogenic bacterium Weissella was significantly increased. It was speculated that dysbiosis of gut microbiota might accelerate the toxicity of boric acid on German cockroaches.

Effects of Curcumin and Boric Acid Against Neurodegenerative Damage Induced by Amyloid Beta (1-42).

Synaptosomes are used as an ex vivo model in the investigation of neuronal transmission and neurodegenerative processes. In this study, we aimed to determine the protective effects of boric acid (BA) and curcumin, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on Aβ1-42 induced neurodegenerative damage. Synaptosomes obtained from the rat cerebral cortex were divided into five groups: control, 10μM Aβ1-42, 10μM Aβ1-42 + 25mM BA, 10μM Aβ1-42 + 10μM curcumin, and 10μM Aβ1-42 + 25mM BA+10μM curcumin. Synaptosomes treated with Aβ1-42 caused a significant decline in synaptophysin levels and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities, DNA fragmentation values, and nitric oxide (NO) levels compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Synaptosomes treated with BA showed a significant reduction in MDA and NO levels against Aβ1-42 exposure (P < 0.01). In addition, curcumin treatment has been found to cause a significant reduction in AChE activities and MDA levels in synaptosomes (P < 0.05). Co-administration of BA and curcumin on synaptosomes exposed to Aβ1-42 resulted in a significant decrease in DNA fragmentation values, MDA levels, and AChE activities. Curcumin and BA + curcumin combination showed an enhancement in synaptophysin levels of Aβ1-42-induced synaptosomes (P < 0.01). The results showed that BA and curcumin had protective effects on rat brain synaptosomes against Aβ1-42 exposure. BA and curcumin treatment can have abilities to prevent the alterations of the cholinergic system and inhibit oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex synapses of Aβ1-42 exposed.

Effect of Natural Resin from Wild Pistachio Trees on Physical Properties and Durability of Beech Wood

This study was carried out to investigate the physical properties and decay resistance of beech wood treated with natural pistachio resin (PR) from Iranian wild pistachio trees (Pistacia atlantica), alone and in combination with boric acid (BA). Wood samples were impregnated with different concentration of PR dissolved in ethanol (3 to 20 %) with vacuum-pressure technology. The combination of PR (20 %) and BA (2 %) was also conducted to evaluate any interaction or synergistic effects. The water absorption, volumetric swelling, and decay resistance against Trametes versicolor fungi, before and after a leaching test (EN 84), were measured on treated and untreated samples. The chemical compositions of PR were also identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. The chemicals analysis identified more than 20 different compounds in the PR, monoterpenoids being the predominant fraction and α-pinene the major component. The samples treated with a higher concentration of PR showed much higher weight gain percentage (WG%). The results showed that the increase in WG% reduced the average values of water absorption and volumetric swelling of treated samples even after long terms of soaking in water. The decay resistance of the treated samples increased against white rotting fungi as the values of WG% increased. Efficient protection was seen when a combined treatment of PR and BA was used. Even after the leaching process, the weight loss of the treated samples was less than 3 percent. The samples treated with BA alone largely lost their effectiveness against fungal attack after the leaching. The use of PR along with an environmental friendly co-biocide can also be recommended for wood preservation in places that require minimal toxicity.

Pyrolysis and combustion characteristics of boric acid and borax treated decorative bamboo filaments

A cone calorimeter and thermogravimetric analysis were used in this work to determine the combustion and pyrolysis characteristics of decorative bamboo filaments before and after being treated with boric acid and borax (1:1) flame-retardants. The kinetics were calculated using the Coates-Redfern model. The results showed that in comparison to the control sample, the flame combustion time decreased from 52 s to 40 s, and the peak value of the heat release rate (PKHRR) and total heat release (THR) of the boric acid and borax treated samples were significantly decreased, by 21.0% and 22.2%, respectively. The peak value of the smoke release rate (PKSPR), total smoke production (TSP), and the specific extinction area (ASEA) were reduced substantially, by 90.6%, 93.3%, and 93.0%, respectively. After the boric acid and borax (1 to 1 ratio) flame retardant treatment, the pyrolysis range, the mass loss, the maximum mass loss rate, and the corresponding peak temperature of the samples all significantly decreased with the same heating rate. The activation energy of the BB-treated samples was higher than the control group, which indicated the boric acid and borax flame retardant had flame retardant efficiency.

Boric acid enhances Metarhizium anisopliae virulence in Blattella germanica (L.) by disrupting the gut and altering its microbial community

Extensive use of insecticides has caused widespread resistance in German cockroach (Blattella germanica) populations on a global scale. Biological control has potential to mitigate insecticide resistance, and Metarhizium anisopliae, an entomopathogenic fungus, has shown good efficacy against cockroaches alone and in combination with various insecticides, including boric acid. To investigate the mechanism(s) that underlie synergism between M. anisopliae and boric acid, we conducted dose-response assays with combinations of fungus and boric acid fed to cockroaches and histological observations of the midgut and we characterized the gut microbiome of treated cockroaches. The combination treatments were synergistic with co-toxicity factors >20 at 4 out of 12 treatments and LT50 values of 5 days at the highest concentration of boric acid. M. anisopliae reached the hemocoel faster when it was ingested with boric acid, likely because boric acid disrupted the epithelial cells of the midgut. The gut microbiome was also altered by these treatments. The abundance of Parabacteroides and Enterococcus, with known anti-inflammatory and antifungal activity, declined in boric acid and combination treatments, whereas Weissella, an opportunistic pathogen, significantly increased in these treatments. We conclude that two major mechanisms underlie this synergism: (1) boric acid facilitates the penetration of M. anisopliae by physically and chemically disrupting the midgut, and (2) by altering the gut microbiome, boric acid promotes survival and virulence of M. anisopliae in the harsh gut environment.

High-performance lignocellulose/polycarbonate biocomposites fabricated by in situ reaction: Structure and properties

The use of lignocellulosic fiber in polycarbonate composites is limited due to its low thermal stability. In this study, the thermal stability of wood flour was improved by a boric acid treatment. Then, the wood flour/polycarbonate composites with an outstanding mechanical performance were obtained through melt extrusion and injection. Results showed that wood flour and polycarbonate underwent esterification reactions during the extrusion process. The effect of wood flour on torque rheology and thermal, mechanical, and creep properties of the resulting biocomposites was also characterized and analyzed. A maximum increase of 147.2% in flexural modulus was obtained while the flexural strength hardly changed. The addition of wood flour altered the thermal properties of polycarbonate. Adding wood flour improved the anti-creep and coating properties of the composites. The boric acid modification protected lignocellulose from thermal degradation, thereby promoting the manufacture at a high temperature of biocomposites based on engineering plastic.

Strain engineering by atomic lattice locking in P2-type layered oxide cathode for high-voltage sodium-ion batteries

Abstract Developing high-voltage cathode materials is the key to overcome the obstacles of low energy density for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). P2-type manganese-rich layered oxides are considered as an appealing cathode material for SIBs, but still suffer from severe capacity and voltage decay. As the underlying cause, inhomogeneous interlaminar stress originated from the intrinsic structural transition brings out the generation and propagation of surface cracks, and should be tackled. Herein, we construct an interlocking spinel-like/layered heterostructure via boric acid treatment approach. The well-designed epitaxial spinel-like nanolayer effectively inhibits the unfavorable P2-OP4 phase transition associated with dramatic volume change over 4.1 V, preventing the accumulation of inhomogeneous stress as well as the lattice distortion. The generation and propagation of intragranular cracks are fundamentally prohibited, resulting in improved structural durability and capacity stability. This present work sheds light on the importance of interface engineering of high-voltage cathode materials for SIBs.

Boron as Boric Acid Induces mRNA Expression of the Differentiation Factor Tuftelin in Pre-Osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 Cells.

The effects of boron on the formation and maintenance of mineralized structures at the molecular level are still not clearly defined. Thus, a study was conducted using MC3T3-E1 cells to determine whether boron affected mRNA expressions of genes associated with bone/alveolar bone formation around the teethMC3T3-E1 (clone 4) cells were cultured in media treated with boric acid at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 10, 100, or 1000ng/ml. Total RNAs of each group were isolated on day 3. Gene expression profiles were determined by using RT2 Profiler PCR micro-array that included 84 genes associated with osteogenic differentiation. Tuftelin1 mRNA expression was upregulated by all boron treatments. The upregulation was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR using the tuftelin probe. While 100ng/ml had no effect on the integrin-α2 (Itga2) transcript and 1ng/ml boric acid induced Itga2 mRNA expression (2.1-fold), 0.1, 10, and 1000ng/ml boric acid downregulated the integrin-α2 gene transcript 2.2-, 1.5-, and 2.1-fold respectively. While 0.1ng/ml boric acid induced BMP6, increased BMP1r mRNA expression (1.5 fold) was observed in 1000ng/ml boric acid treatment. The findings suggest that boron affects the regulation of the tuftelin1 gene in osteoblastic cells. Further studies are needed to establish that the beneficial actions of boron on alveolar bone and tooth formation and maintenance include an effect on the expression of the tuftelin1 gene.

In vitro effects of boric acid on human liver hepatoma cell line (HepG2) at the half-maximal inhibitory concentration

BackgroundBoron is a prominent part of the human diet and one of the essential trace elements for humans. Dietary boron is mostly transformed into boric acid within the body and has been associated with desirable health outcomes. Non-dietary resources of boron, such as boron-based drugs and occupational exposure, might lead to excessive boron levels in the blood and provoke health adversities. The liver might be particularly sensitive to boron intake with ample evidence suggesting a relation between boron and liver function, although the underlying molecular processes remain largely unknown. MethodsIn order to better understand boron-related metabolism and molecular mechanisms associated with a cytotoxic level of boric acid, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of boric acid for the hepatoma cell line (HepG2) was determined using the XTT assay. Cellular responses followed by boric acid treatment at this concentration were investigated using genotoxicity assays and microarray hybridizations. Enrichment analyses were carried out to find out over-represented biological processes using the list of differentially expressed genes identified within the gene expression analysis. ResultsDNA breaks were detected in HepG2 cells treated with 24 mM boric acid, the estimated IC50-level of boric acid. On the other hand, pleiotropic transcriptomic effects, including cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and apoptosis as well as altered expression of Phase I and Phase II enzymes, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism were discerned in microarray analyses. ConclusionHepG2 cells treated with a growth-inhibitory concentration of boric acid for 24 h exhibited a senescence-like transcriptomic profile along with DNA damage. Further studies might help in understanding the concentration-dependent effects and mechanisms of boric acid.

Conversion of lignocellulose into biochar and furfural through boron complexation and esterification reactions

The aim of this work was to study the conversion of lignocellulose into biochar and furfural through boron complexation and esterification reaction. Boric acid was used to modify lignocellulose to obtain a high biochar yield boron-lignocellulosic material through complexation and esterification reactions. Furthermore, clean furfural was obtained as the gas products of boron-lignocellulosic materials pyrolysis. The structures of the boron-lignocellulosic materials were characterized, and their compound principle was revealed. Boric acid treatments increased the initial thermal degradation temperature of lignocellulose and promoted the formation of biochar and furfural. The biochar yield rate increased by 135.7% from 18.6 to 42.9% at 600 ℃ after 5% boric acid solution treatment. Compared with pure lignocellulose, cleaner and higher quantities of furfural were obtained from boron-lignocellulose pyrolysis. Finally, the possible chemical decomposition pathways of boron-lignocellulosic materials were identified. This study provides a new perspective on the thermochemical conversion of lignocellulose to furfural and biochar.